Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-02-18
TEE HORRORS OF LEPROSY.
The Terror of Physician who
Thought lie Had Contracted the
Discase-IIeroism ola
Young Woman.

Dr. Frederick i. Miner, prominent
physician of Honolulu. Hawai-, is
spending "A few days in New York,
winding up the first visit he has made
to his native country in twenty years.
He left Vermont when he was little
more than boy, travelled by stages and
on foot across the plains to California,
where he mined gold for living and
studied medicine for pastime. When
he discovered there was very little
profit in the former and chance for
considerable in the latter, he devoted
himself entirely to medicine, and was
at one time considered the most pro-
missing young doctor in San Francisco.
Then he went to Honolulu on visit,
and was so much impressed with the
beauty and fertility of the country that
he STAYED there, and has since become
leading citizen high in favor of the
king. and man of means His wife
journeyed from Termont clear around
the Horn in sailing vessel to be mar
ried to him.
Hawaii is one of the most beautiful
and delightful spots in the world,
said the doctor the other day to a party
Of friends who had given him dinner.
land it is only question of time when
it will become a very rich and profit.
able dependent of some country. The
native dynasty can not last much long
er. At present it is little more than
name. The king is sunk in idleness
and luxury, and foreign influence
struggle for the control of things. The
country really should be annexed to the
United States; it is most nearly allied
to YOU by situation. trade and inclina-
ton. But no doubt you will let Eng
land or France steal a march upon you
and take it away before your face.
Then one of them will reap the profits
of the enormous trade in sugar, fruits.
and vegetables which the unsurpassed
fertility of the island is building up year
by year, and which naturally should be
principally yours. The native popula-
ton of Hawaii is rapidly passing away.
In very few years, comparatively,
it will be practically extinct. What
carries off the people? Leprosy, for
the most part. and then some such
mysterious incompatibility of races as
made the North American Indians melt
away before the Europeans. The
Islanders were fine race originally,
but the vices they have learned from
the white men have worked their ruin.
The ravages of leprosv in Hawaii
have not been overdrawn. | don't
know how they could be even adequcte-
" described TO one who had never wit
messed them. The terrible disease
seems to be a poison in the blood that
will eventually run through and wipe
out the entire native race. The gov
eminent does what it can in its feeble
way to keep the disease from spread
ing. All authenticated cases are isola-
ted on an island in the harbor. Physi-
clans hired at the public cost watch for
the disease and study its symptoms.
But it still increases steadily among the
natives. The foreigners catch it some
times. 1t j. a great mistake, however,
to suppose, as most people do, that the
municated from one person to another
only by contact and actual transmits
sion of virus, as by wound or sore.
| have treated thousands of lepers
been with them when they died. visited
the leper hospital on the island and ate
the food prepared for leper palates by
leper hands. have handled living and
dead lepers with impunitv. and so have
hundreds Of other Caucasians. On the
other hand, hundreds of white men
have been infected by the disease in a
way that ! have named and have died
the most horrible and loathsome of
deaths
IL shall never forget have the
strongest cause to remember-an ex-
perience l once had that put all the
gray hairs into my head and the crow S.
feet into my face as you can discover.
was called one day to attend a veal
thy patient suffering from leprosy, who
/ had by reason of his wealth escaped
being sent to the island with the other
victims. The disease had reached a
stage where the surgeons knife could
be used to prolong life somewhat /
attended and amputated the patient
leg As was washing my hands after
the operation made discovery that
drove my blood into frozen Jumps
around my heart. In some way or 9TH
er had managed to cut the foreiinger
of my right hand with NV knife. That
was the finger had used the most in
removing the affected limb and tying
the diseased lgature. The merest
scratch with pin under those circum-
stances would result in infection. had
not the slightest doubt that | had con-
I,rocted tho disease The full horror of